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Veggies vs. Sour Patch Kids — The Candy Wins in the Moment, but the Veggies Win in the Mirror the Next Day

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WELCOME BACK Hola, Mr. Sands here — back for another year at UMS, and wow… this year’s got a whole new vibe: UMS is now just 7th and 8th graders. Brand-new boss crew: Ms. Kearns, Mr. Ely, and Mrs. Williams. I’m teaching a shiny new 8th-grade elective: App Creators . Tons of new staff faces — try not to confuse them with subs. I lived in Costa Rica for 5 weeks this summer (yes, it was awesome, yes, you can be jealous). Now, I know some of you are thinking, “School? Already? Nooo.” I get it. I feel some of that too. I LOVE my summers off. But here’s how mine usually goes if I’m not careful: Stay up a little late one night. Then stay up later. Suddenly it’s midnight and I’m eating Sour Patch Kids like it’s a competitive sport (two bags in one sitting — personal best this summer). Then that awful feeling hits — like I’ve butchered the papillae on my tongue — and it hangs around for days. Sleep in… later and later. Long summer days start to feel shorter. ...
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GAINING PERSPECTIVE

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  GAINING PERSPECTIVE During my fall break I had an amazing opportunity to join my friend and his uncle for a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon.  I have always enjoyed the outdoors, hiking, and exploring national parks, but this was an experience like nothing else. Living here in flat central Illinois, there wasn't a lot of opportunities for me to actively train for traversing the Grand Canyon, but I tried to make the most of walking around when I could, carrying my golf bag when I would play on the weekends and just trying to be generally active. Our trek into the canyon was a 3 day affair.  On Monday we started at the South Rim and descended down the South Kaibab Trail to our destination for the evening, The Bright Angel Campground.  This leg of the trip was about 7 miles in length all downhill, with a decrease in elevation of 4,700 feet.  We had dinner at Phantom Ranch and slept under the stars.  Though it would not be a complete full moon until Wed...
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MAKING THE BEST USE OF CLASS TIME

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  MAKING THE BEST USE OF CLASS TIME On a regular day of school at UMS we have one Advisory period at the beginning of the day that is 15 minutes long and then 8 periods that are each 46 minutes in length.  On early dismissal Wednesdays, we do not have an Advisory period and each of our 8 periods are shorted in length to only 41 minutes. Even though 46 minutes may feel like an eternity on some days for both students and staff, it really is NOT a lot of time.  Henceforth, students should make the most of the time they have in classes to utilize all of their resources (the teacher, other students, equipment specific to school, etc.).  Otherwise, if you try to work on assignments at home you may easily forget things or get stuck because you don't have someone next to you to help you along. I often see many students waste tremendous amounts of time in my classes simply messing around on the computer (listening to music, playing time-wasting games, working on assignments f...
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STAYING ON TOP OF THINGS

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  STAYING ON TOP OF THINGS As we get more into the flow of the school year, it is super helpful for students to manage all of their work for all of their classes.  In elementary school, everything comes from a single teacher, but at middle school, you have different teachers at different times of the day with different expectations for how you should complete your assignments and how you should turn things in. In particular, in my classes, my students struggle at first with the concept of turning files in via Google Classroom.  For example if you are working on a Google Slides presentation, but don't attach the file to that assignment within Google Classroom, then I can't see if you completed the assignment or even started working on it.  However, if you attach the file, I can see your work as you make progress on it... Even if you haven't TURNED IN the assignment yet... Word to the wise, for my classes, or any classes that use Google Classroom, make sure you attach ...
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ALL ABOUT ME

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ALL ABOUT ME! I have worked in education for over 15 years and one thing I've learned is that children (especially middle school aged children), LOVE to talk about themselves.  One of the first assignments I have my students complete in all of my classes is to create a GOOGLE SLIDE and share some of their favorite things.  This is not only a great way for students to use technology (using text and images to communicate ideas, learning a few basic principals of graphic design, and also reading and following written and video directions), but I always enjoy this assignment as it allows me to learn about my students. If your student has created an ALL ABOUT ME slide, ask to check it out.  You might learn something about them you never knew before :) Also, whenever I assign students something to do in class, most of the time I also take the time to complete the work so I can show them something as a finished model.  You can find my ALL ABOUT ME slide from this school yea...
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GETTING SET FOR CLASS!

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GETTING SET FOR CLASS! Hello, Though it may not always appear as such from the outside, I do pride myself in being a pretty organized person... Just don't judge me from my lawn or home office space... Both of those are a little "rough" right now and are in need of a little love to clean things up... One step at a time... That being said, at school, I try to set my students up for success in terms of being organized.  One of the first things I have students do is to create a CLASS FOLDER specifically for my class.  I have a set of CUBBY HOLES that live at the STUDENT STATION in my classroom for all students to keep their CLASSROOM FOLDERS .   My STUDENT STATION also has several other things that students may need while in class:  Paper, pencils, pens, tape, scissors, markers, a stapler, a 3-hole punch, etc.  All I ask of students is that if they borrow or use something from my student station during class, then they return it before they leave the class ...
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WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!

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WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! Hello , My name is Mr. Sands.  I am the sole technology teacher at Urbana Middle School and the Head Boys Tennis Coach at Urbana High School.  I have been a teacher at UMS for the last 10 years and have worked in education for the last 15 years of my life.  I am originally from Danville, IL, but I have had the privilege to live and travel all around the world.  Just this summer I visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico; Tamarindo, Costa Rica; and Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Sunset selfie at Playa Tamarindo in Costa Rica this past July at Witch's Rock Surf Camp. In my free time I enjoy playing golf, tennis, ultimate frisbee, riding my bike, seeing live music, and watching movies.  I also enjoy cooking and hanging out with my friends and family.  This summer I got myself a new GoPro camera and have had a lot of fun using it to document lots of fun adventures and experiences. I am very excited to teach my technology curriculum this ye...
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